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Hollywood got through the first weekend of the new year in slightly better shape than studio insiders expected.
It took just $11.5 million to put Columbia's "Stuart Little" in first place, making it the weekend's only Top Five film to crack double digits. Lackluster tracking scores last week had suggested that the new year might kick off with none of the Top Five films doing better than single-digit grosses.
Columbia's PG-rated family comedy held on to the top spot in its fourth week, still laughing with an estimated $11.5 million (-28%) at 2,979 theaters (+79 theaters, $3,806 per theater). Its total is approximately $95.6 million. Directed by Rob Minkoff, "Stuart Little" stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki.
"It'll hit $100 million either Friday or Saturday of next week," Sony Pictures Releasing President Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "With the holiday week, we won't do far from this figure for the four days. And there are no other kids' pictures coming in until Feb. 11 (Buena Vista/Disney's animated "The Tigger Movie").
"The hard part is getting them (family films) going. Once a picture like this starts rolling, it adds up pretty quick if everything goes well. We're thrilled. We're thinking (it will get to about) $130 million, at this point in time, somewhere in that range."
"Stuart Little" stands to turn into a franchise for Sony. "I know they're working hard at 'Stuart Little II.' And I think that's effort well spent," Blake said.
Paramount's R-rated drama "The Talented Mr. Ripley" moved up one notch to No. 2 in its third week of release with a respectable estimated $9.8 million (-21%) at 2,316 theaters (+7 theaters, $4,231 per theater). (Earlier estimates last week placed it at No. 5, then No. 2 and finally at No. 3.) Its total is approximately $54.6 million. Written and directed by Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient"), it stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Cate Blanchett.
"Ripley" appears to be a prime candidate for Oscar nominations, having received five Golden Globe nominations -- best picture/drama, best actor/drama (Damon), best supporting actor ( Law), best director (Minghella) and best score (Gabriel Yared).
"I think this one really depends on the (Oscar) nominations," Paramount Distribution President Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "I've got it at $80-90 million. But if we get (Oscar nominations for) Best Picture, Director and, maybe, one of the actors and, of course, if we win something, it could get to $100 million (or more).
"With a picture like this, it can be very helpful."
Asked who the audience for "Ripley" is, Lewellen replied, "It's older females, primarily, but obviously they bring the men with them. It's more female than male.
"But it's playing pretty well across the board."
Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment's R-rated prison death row drama "The Green Mile" was a close third in its fifth week, up one notch with an estimated $9.7 million (-17%) at 2,678 theaters (-197 theaters; $3,622 per theater). Its total is approximately $91.3 million.
Written and directed by Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption", it stars Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. Where will "Mile" get to in domestic theaters? "Probably $130 million," Warner Bros. Distribution President Dan Fellman said Sunday morning.
Warner Bros.' R-rated drama "Any Given Sunday" rose one peg to fourth place in its third week with an estimated $9.02 million (-23%) at 2,505 theaters (theater count unchanged, $3,599 per theater). Its total is approximately $59.5 million. Directed by Oliver Stone, it stars Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz.
Where is "Sunday" heading in domestic theaters?
"It just is going to depend on the next few weeks -- somewhere between $80-100 million," Warners' Fellman said.
Rounding out the Top Five was DreamWorks' PG-rated sci-fi fantasy comedy "Galaxy Quest," up one peg in its third week with a surprisingly strong estimated $8.3 million (-14%) at 2,450 theaters (+8 theaters; $3,388 per theater). Its total is approximately $38.8 million, heading for $60 million to $70 million in domestic theaters. Directed by Dean Parisot, it stars Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman.
Buena Vista/Disney and Pixar's animated blockbuster "Toy Story 2" finished sixth in its eighth week with a still jolly estimated $7.5 million (-39%) at 2,752 theaters (-350 theatres, $2,733 per theater). Its total is approximately $220.1 million, heading for a domestic theatrical total of $260 million to $270 million. Directed by John Lasseter, it features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Wayne Knight, Laurie Metcalf, Estelle Harris and R. Lee Ermey.
"It is now the second-highest-grossing animated film in our history (after 'The Lion King')," Buena Vista Distribution President Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "And it's the third-highest-grossing picture we ever released -- behind 'Lion King' and 'Sixth Sense.'"
Looking ahead, Viane said, "Based on this, we'll probably be at $228-$230 million by the time we come out of the Martin Luther King weekend. And then it'll just go and go until it's over."
New Line's R-rated drama "Magnolia" went wide in its fourth week, placing seventh with a promising estimated $6.57 million at 1,034 theaters (+1,025 theatres, $6,359 per theater). Its total is approximately $7.5 million.
"Magnolia's" per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, its ensemble cast is headed by Tom Cruise, William H. Macy, Jason Robards and Julianne Moore.
"Magnolia" received two Golden Globe nominations, including best supporting actor (Cruise) and original song ("Save Me," music and lyrics by Aimee Mann).
"We're happy," New Line Executive Vice President, Distribution, David Tuckerman said Sunday morning. "Some people are going to have us (estimated) lower. The difference is the last three weeks -- our second Sunday was bigger than the Saturday that weekend, and the Sunday the first weekend was 90% of the Saturday, and the Sunday the third weekend was over 90% of the Saturday.
"So everybody's figuring us at like sixtysome percent. Sunday should be almost what Saturday is (for this film)."
Like other three-hour films, "Magnolia" tends to do well on Sundays because people have the time available that day to see something that long.
"You have to make a commitment to see a three-hour movie," Tuckerman said.
Who is the audience for "Magnolia"?
"I sat last night and watched it in Santa Monica," Tuckerman said. "You're basically getting the mid-20s and above. Both (males and females). We didn't do exit polls the first three weeks because we figured we got (Anderson's) fans. We're doing them tonight, so we'll be smarter (Monday)."
Asked if people like the film, Tuckerman said, "They come out stunned. Half of them love it, and half of them hate it. And then they talk about it the next day. The ones that hated it talk about it -- and you can tell they've changed (their opinion)."
Will New Line go wider with the film?
"I think we're going to wait to see what next weekend brings," he said. "I have to tell you, every market that this picture opened in, there's huge pockets of strength. The 'white bread' towns didn't work as well. But within those markets (there is strength). Seattle didn't look good, then one of the best runs in the country came out of Seattle. It's really strange. In Canada, they love it."
Buena Vista/Touchstone's "Bicentennial Man" was eighth in its fourth week with a quiet estimated $5.2 million (-37%) at 2,612 theaters (-155 theate s, $1,992 per theater). Its total is approximately $47.1 million. Directed by Chris Columbus, it stars Robin Williams.
Buena Vista/Touchstone's R-rated youth-appeal comedy "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" was ninth in its fifth week with a less funny estimated $5 million (-13%) at 2,066 theaters (-96 theaters, $2,403 per theater). Its total is approximately $54 million. Directed by Mike Mitchell, it stars Rob Schneider.
"I have hesitated to say this, but I think now it's probably a $70 million picture," BV's Viane said. "The one picture we would like to emulate is 'Ace Ventura,' which did $72 million. The minute we hit $60 million (after Martin Luther King weekend), that's the number we'll be chasing."
Rounding out the Top 10 was Universal's PG-13-rated drama "Snow Falling On Cedars," which went wide in its third week with an unexciting estimated $4.01 million at 1,150 theaters (+1,147 theaters, $3,490 per theater). Its total is approximately $4.2 million. Directed by Scott Hicks ("Shine"), it stars Ethan Hawke, James Cromwell, Richard Jenkins, Youki Kudoh, James Rebhorn, Sam Shepard, Rick Yune and Max von Sydow.
OTHER OPENINGS
Last weekend saw no new arrivals in wide or high-profile platform release.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
Last weekend saw no national sneak previews.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, last weekend saw Miramax's PG-13-rated drama "The Cider House Rules" go wider in its fifth week, placing 13th with an OK ESTIMATED $3.28 million at 816 theaters (+484 theaters, $4,013 per theater). Its total is approximately $8.4 million. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, it stars Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd and Michael Caine.
"With the addition of 484 screens this weekend, we only dropped 14% on a per-screen basis," Miramax Senior Vice President, Marketing, David Kaminow said Sunday morning. "We were hoping for $3,000 a screen this weekend, and the fact that we did $4,000 is great. Even more encouraging are theaters that are in their third, fourth and fifth week, dwelling on this. It's taken a little time for the movie to get its legs, but (that's what we're seeing now)."
Kaminow pointed to a number of examples, including, "in New York, the Angelika, in its fifth week, is up 73%. In L.A., in Century City, we're up 136% in Week 5. The Sunset Five (in West Hollywood) is up 53% in Week 5. The Lido in Newport Beach is up 30% in Week 5. In Pasadena, the Playhouse is up 16% in Week 3.
"This is what's going on around the country. The movie's really taking hold and receiving great word of mouth."
Universal's R-rated drama "The Hurricane" expanded in its second week, placing 14th with an encouraging estimated $2.45 million at 159 theaters (+148 theaters, $15,405 per theater). Its total is approximately $3.1 million. Directed by Norman Jewison, it stars Denzel Washington as wrongly imprisoned boxing champion Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.
"Hurricane," which is generating Oscar buzz, received three Golden Globe nominations -- best picture, best actor/drama (Washington) and best director (Jewison).
Columbia's R-rated drama "The End of the Affair" expanded in its sixth week, placing 18th with an unromantic estimated $0.65 million at 92 theaters (+34 theaters, $7,065 per theater). Its total is approximately $2.4 million. Directed by Neil Jordan, it stars Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore and Stephen Rea.
"We're intending to go wide to about 700 or so theaters on Jan. 21," Sony's Jeff Blake said Sunday. "We're certainly performing (as) one of the better limiteds consistently, so hopefully we'll be ready to go on Golden Globe weekend."
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend - took in approximately $93.79 million last weekend, up approximately 11.04% from $84.46 million for the comparable weekend last year.
Last weekend's key film gross was down approximately 15.4% from the $108.31 million that key films took in during the prior weekend.
Last year, Buena Vista's third week of "A Civil Action" was first with $15.16 million at 1,802 theaters ($8,415 per theater); and Universal's third weekend of "Patch Adams" was second with $12.69 million at 2,770 theaters, $4,580 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $27.9 million. This year, the top two films grossed an estimated $21.3 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES
Based on business by key films, last weekend's top six distributors were the following:
Warner Bros. was first with two films ("The Green Mile" and "Any Given Sunday") grossing an estimated $18.72 million or 20% of the market.
Buena Vista (Touchstone and Disney) was second with three films ("Toy Story 2," "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" and "Bicentennial Man") grossing an estimated $17.7 million or 18.9% of the market.
Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia, TriStar) was third with two films ("Stuart Little" and "The End Of the Affair") grossing an estimated $12.15 million or 13% of the market.
Paramount was fourth with two films ("The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Sleepy Hollow") grossing an estimated $10.95 million or 11.7% of the market.
Universal was fifth with four films ("Snow Falling On Cedars," "The Hurricane," "End Of Days" and "Man On the Moon") grossing an estimated $10.83 million or 11.5% of the market.
DreamWorks was sixth with one film ("Galaxy Quest") grossing an estimated $8.3 million or 8.8% of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES
(11) "Anna and the King"/Fox: Theaters: 2,004 (-125) Gross: $3.55 million (-35%) Average per theater: $1,771 Total: $30.9 million
(12) "Man On the Moon"/Universal: Theaters: 2,065 (-14) Gross: $3.5 million (-35%) Average per theater: $1,695 Total: $30.4 million
(13) "The Cider House Rules"/Miramax: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(14) "Hurricane"/Universal: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(15) "The World Is Not Enough"/MGM: Theaters: 1,317 (-395) Gross: $1.76 million (-39%) Average per theater: $1,335 Total: $120.8 million
(16) "Sleepy Hollow"/Paramount: Theaters: 1,070 (-422) Gross: $1.15 million (-26%) Average per theater: $1,075 Total: $94.8 million
(17) "End of Days"/Universal: Theaters: 813 (-250) Gross: $0.87 million (-32%) Average per theater: $1,065 Total: $64.6 million
(18) "The End of the Affair"/Columbia: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(19) "Being John Malkovich"/USA Films: Theaters: 235 (-14) Gross: $0.47 million (-1%) Average per theater: $1,000 Total: $19 million
(20) "Mansfield Park"/Miramax: Theaters: 139 (-9) Gross: $0.37 million (-12%) Average per theater: $2,660 Total: $3.1 million
(21) "Liberty Heights"/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 109 (-6) Gross: $0.28 million (-34%) Average per theater: $2,570 Total: $2.7 million
(22) "The Bone Collector"/Universal: Theaters: 427 (0) Gross: $0.20 million (-45%) Average per theater: $460 Total: $64.1 million
(23) "Cradle Will Rock"/BV: Theaters: 38 (0) Gross: $0.17 million (-15%) Average per theater: $4,429 Total: $1.0 million
(24) "Girl, Interrupted"/Columbia: Theatres: 9 (0) Gross: $0.15 million (+21%) Average per theater: $16,206 Total: $0.7 million
(25) "Tumbleweeds"/Fine Line: Theaters: 156 (-151) Gross: $0.10 million (-59%) Average per theater: $640 Total: $1.2 million
(26) "The Best Man"/Universal: Theaters: 144 (-9) Gross: $0.087 million (-45%) Average per theater: $605 Total: $33.7 million
(27) "Angela's Ashes"/Paramount: Theatres: 6 (0) Gross: $0.060 million (-3%) Average per theater: $9,996 Total: $0.3 million
(28) "Titus"/Fox Searchlight: Theatres: 4 (+2) Gross: $0.040 million Average per theater: $10,003 Total: $0.2 million
(29) "Topsy-Turvy"/USA Films: Theaters: 1 (0) Gross: $0.036 million (+35%) Average per theater: $36,004 Total: $0.2 million
(30) "Play It To the Bone"/B V: Theaters: 1 (0) Gross: $0.004 million (-5%) Average per theater: $3,709 Total: $17,000

Dr. Seuss' "Grinch" was just what the doctor ordered for theater owners, lifting their spirits with nearly $74 million in Thanksgiving ticket sales.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-rated blockbuster comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" from director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and star Jim Carrey easily held on to the top spot in its second weekend.
Going into the long Thanksgiving period, insiders' were seeing stiff competition on their radar screens for "Grinch" from Buena Vista's twin openings of "Unbreakable" (Touchstone) and "102 Dalmatians" (Disney). But it was clear as early as Thanksgiving morning when estimates of Wednesday's grosses became available that "Grinch" would top the holiday chart. Nonetheless, Buena Vista's two new arrivals together carved themselves a robust $74 million slice of box office pie.
(NOTE: Today's estimates are for the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period from Wednesday through Sunday. There are no percentage comparisons to last week, a non-holiday period.)
"Grinch" placed first with a jolly estimated $73.77 million at 3,134 theaters (+7 theaters; $23,538 per theater). Its cume is approximately $137.4 million, heading for $180-200 million or more.
"Grinch" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide release last weekend.
"We're thrilled," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "This movie will be an immense success for every area of the studio. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have delivered an incredible early Christmas present and we couldn't be more grateful."
What accounts for the huge expansion in the marketplace? "'Grinch,'" Rocco replied. "We can't say the weather was bad because the weather was decent everywhere. Today (Sunday) is rainy in New York and is going to help business even more. It's very rainy on the East Coast and we know that bodes well (for ticket sales) on Sunday. People are in the holiday spirit. 'Grinch' certainly is a holiday movie. Christmas came early!"
Directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Grazer, "Grinch" stars Jim Carrey.
Buena Vista/Touchstone's PG-13-rated supernatural thriller "Unbreakable," reteaming the director and star of Touchstone's blockbuster "The Sixth Sense," broke into second place with a high-powered estimated $47.2 million at 2,708 theaters ($17,429 per theater).
"Can you imagine a film as big and as powerful as 'Grinch' is in this marketplace and 'Dalmatians' and 'Rugrats' still do this kind of business?" Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "Does that show the power of the family audience on this holiday?"
Focusing first on "Unbreakable," Viane observed, "We all knew, when you take a risk like this of putting an adult feature in a very family-oriented holiday, you're not sure. Up till now, I think 'Back to the Future' was the biggest of the non-family movies to ever go out there (at Thanksgiving). This obviously blows it away. To think that you can do $47 million worth of adult business on this holiday, when everybody is off taking their families to the movies, is remarkable. It's a great holiday.
"I think probably what you're going to see each year (now) is that somebody's going to do this. Somebody's going to place an adult film here. It's too lucrative not to. When you see the kind of numbers that a good film can take out of the marketplace, you've got to say to yourself, if you have an adult film and Christmas becomes too crowded, why not be here? How many weekends in the year would we have not been number one if it wasn't for a picture as strong as 'Grinch?'"
As for finishing second, Viane pointed out, "Being number two at $47 million? Any time, any place, I'll take it. When we first laid both films down at this time, we knew 'Grinch' was a player and we always said, 'As long as we come out of this in the top three, it doesn't matter because the money's so big.' Boy, it sure played out that way."
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, "Unbreakable" stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.
Driven at the top by "Grinch" and "Unbreakable," the Thanksgiving marketplace expanded to nearly $240 million for key films (those grossing over $500,000 for the five days). That sends this Thanksgiving into the record books as Hollywood's biggest ever. Until now, Thanksgiving 1999 held the record with a key films gross of nearly $219 million. This year's five-day Thanksgiving ticket sales for key films were up about 9.5% from last year.
Buena Vista/Disney's live-action, G-rated puppies sequel "102 Dalmatians" got off to a little less peppy start in third place with an estimated $26.8 million at 2,704 theaters ($9,911 per theater).
"$26.8 million in a market with 'Grinch' is fabulous," Buena Vista's Viane said Sunday morning. "In a market with 'Grinch' and 'Rugrats' it's probably even a bigger exclamation point to be able to do this kind of business. It just shows how much the family market can expand during a holiday and how they are willing to take second and third choices. I would believe that 'Grinch' helped all the films in the market this weekend because there was so much pressure on their (available) seats that people were willing to take a second or third or fourth choice.
"Even 'Meet the Parents' and 'Remember the Titans' both had very nice weekends simply because they're ratings friendly movies. Folks were willing to see them for a second time or somebody who hadn't been catching up with the movies finally got a chance to see them. These megaplexes finally came to fruition about what they're there for -- a lot of films in the marketplace and people being given some choice."
Asked about "Dalmatians" and those who think it should have opened bigger, Viane replied, "The original did more. This is a sequel. Sequels historically do less. So I'd say we're right in the ballgame of where realistic expectations should be."
Looking ahead, Viane said, "I think both 'Rugrats' and ourselves will now benefit from the humongous success of 'Grinch' in that there is nothing new coming for a couple of weeks. I think the family audience can now make choices. There is not a new family movie until (BV's animated) 'Emperor's New Groove' on Dec. 15. So I think that will be wonderful for the history of both of these films. Look, there is no question that there was this big snowball rolling down the hill called 'Grinch.' I think we're all going to get caught up in the wake of it and get their aftermath.
"I think there is a big audience for the next two weeks for these films. I think overall the business is in such great shape. And having a 'second' Christmas coming, that's fabulous. There have been too many years where all the rocks were put either at Thanksgiving or at Christmas. This year it's so well spread out. I think it's really good for our industry."
Directed by Kevin Lima, "Dalmatians" stars Glenn Close and Gerard Depardieu.
Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' G-rated animated sequel "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie" fell two pegs to fourth place in its second week with a still cheerful estimated $22.75 million at 2,937 theaters (+3 theaters; $7,746 per theater). Its cume is approximately $47.9 million.
"It's running about 20% behind the original," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "Of course, the original didn't have the kind of competition that this one has. It opened at that level and, frankly, it's been playing at that level. And if that holds true, it will end up in the $85 million range (in domestic theaters), which will be very good.
"It's really playing exactly like the (first) one. This weekend was off 23% for the three days from the opening weekend, which was exactly the same percentage as the original."
Directed by Stig Bergqvist and Paul Demeyer, it was produced by Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo.
Columbia's PG-13 action adventure comedy "Charlie's Angels" fell two rungs to fifth place in its fourth weekend with a still snappy estimated $14.0 million at 2,838 theaters (-199 theaters; $4,933 per theater). Its cume is approximately $109.2 million, heading for $140 million in domestic theaters.
"It's just terrific considering the level of competition," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "It was down 20% Friday-Saturday-Sunday, so you can see it's still a picture people want to see and we're getting repeat business despite all the competition."
The "Angels" are flying high internationally, as well. "We had a huge opening in the U.K. -- 3 million pounds," Blake noted. "Our opening in Australia was second only to 'Men in Black.' So far this weekend, we've got 10 number one openings around the world with 16 left to report. It looks like we could well sweep the board as the number one opening worldwide this weekend. Number one openings are confirmed in the U.K., Australia, Italy, France, Korea, Brazil -- literally all over the world in both Americas, Asia and Europe."
Directed by McG, "Angels" stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Bill Murray.
This weekend also saw the arrival of Fox Searchlight Pictures' R-rated drama "Quills," placing 19th with an encouraging estimated $0.31 million at 9 theaters ($34,955 per theater).
"I think it's terrific," Fox Searchlight distribution president Stephen Gilula said Sunday morning. "When I look back at films like 'English Patient' or 'Full Monty,' it's a tremendous opening (for) a very serious, provocative film in the midst of this humongous weekend. It's very exciting to see that there is a significant public out there that's interested in an alternative sort of grown-up movie.
"There is a wide range of films out there and we were able to find an audience. We got tremendous critical support. The vast majority of the press was very enthusiastic and I think we're off and running. From here, we're going to play very well into the end of the year."
"Quills" opened in five key markets, Gilula said: "It was strong everywhere -- New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles and Toronto. It's obviously very strong in New York. Of course, in New York you have higher ticket prices. But it's playing very well in all the cities. It's very encouraging. When we go to the next key cities on Dec. 15, we're very enthused that we're going to do extremely well."
Gilula did not yet have exit poll data in hand early Sunday morning, but noted, "It's a pretty wide range -- anywhere from 20-something all the way up. It's reaching out to a college age and younger audience as well as traditional sophisticated moviegoers. There's a large discriminating audience out there that's always looking for variety in the films they go see."
Directed by Philip Kaufman, it stars Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) recognized some of the year’s best films on Sunday. "Gladiator" was chosen best film, and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" took away best foreign-language film honors. Each of these Oscar contenders received four BAFTA awards in total.
Producers Douglas Wick, David Franzoni and Branko Lustig accepted the best film award for "Gladiator," praising director Ridley Scott during their acceptance speech, who lost out on the best director prize to Ang Lee for "Tiger."
Besides best foreign film and best director, "Crouching Tiger" also won for music (Tan Dun) and costume design (Tim Yip). Of BAFTA and the United Kingdom, Lee said: "You've always been great to me. This is like a second home to me now."
“Gladiator” also won the Orange Audience Award for most popular film of 2000. Scott thanked DreamWorks and Universal for their courage in backing a $100 million film in a genre that hadn't been touched for 30 years. "It is especially good to win this on my home turf as I spend so much time in the United States," Scott said during his acceptance speech. "I am absolutely thrilled."
Besides the BAFTA honor for best film, "Gladiator" also picked up awards for cinematography (John Mathieson), production design (Arthur Max) and editing (Pietro Scalia).
British effort "Billy Elliot" won three awards, including best British film, best actor (Jamie Bell) and best supporting actress for Julie Walters.
Julia Roberts was named best actress for her performance in the title role of "Erin Brockovich." Presenter Hugh Grant, and co-star in "Notting Hill," picked up the award for the absentee actress.
Best original screenplay and best sound awards went to Cameron Crowe’s "Almost Famous." Crowe's wife, Nancy Wilson, accepted his award, saying that Crowe was unable to attend the event as a double ear infection prevented him from flying. "He meant this movie as a love letter from his heart to music," Wilson said.
Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic" also won two awards, for adapted screenplay (Stephen Gaghan) and supporting actor (Benicio Del Toro).
Veteran casting director Mary Selway was given the Michael Balcon Award for her outstanding contribution to cinema. Actor Albert Finney was presented with a British Film Academy Fellowship for lifetime achievement, receiving a standing ovation.
The complete list of winners:
THE ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP: Albert Finney
THE MICHAEL BALCON AWARD for outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Mary Selway
THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD for outstanding British Film of the Year: "Billy Elliot"
BEST FILM: "Gladiator"
THE DAVID LEAN AWARD for Achievement in Direction: Ang Lee, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
SCREENPLAY (Original): Cameron Crowe, "Almost Famous"
SCREENPLAY (Adapted): Stephen Gaghan, "Traffic"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS in a leading role: Julia Roberts, "Erin Brockovich"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR in a leading role: Jamie Bell, "Billy Elliot"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS in a supporting role: Julie Walters, "Billy Elliot"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR in a supporting role: Benicio Del Toro, "Traffic"
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (Bill Hong/Hsu Li Kong/Ang Lee )
THE ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD for achievement in Film Music: Tan Dun, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Most Promising Newcomer to British Film: Pawel Pawlikowski
CINEMATOGRAPHY: John Mathieson, "Gladiator"
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Arthur Max, "Gladiator"
COSTUME DESIGN: Tim Yip, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
EDITING: Pietro Scalia, "Gladiator"
SOUND: Jeff Wexler/D.M. Hemphill/Rick Kline/Paul Massey/Mike Wilhoit, "Almost Famous"
ACHIEVEMENT IN SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: Stefen Fangmeier/John Frazier/Walt Conti/Habib Zargarpour/Tim Alexander, "The Perfect Storm"
MAKE UP/HAIR: Rick Baker/Kazuhirop Tsuji/Tony G./Gal Ryan/Sylvia Nava, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
SHORT FILM Gary Holding/Justine Leahy/Tinge Krishnan, "Shadowscan"
SHORT ANIMATION: Claire Jennings/Willem Thijssen/Michael Dudok de Wit, "Father and Daughter"
ORANGE AUDIENCE AWARD: "Gladiator"

Gus Van Sant, the eclectic director of such films as To Die For and Finding Forrester, will reteam with his Good Will Hunting stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck (yes, Ben's little brother) for a new film, Jerry. According to the buzz at Cannes, the film is being kept closely under wraps, so there's not much known on the subject matter. Could be about a mouse or a TV evangelist or maybe a raunchy TV talk show host. What is known is that the project is being put together by the William Morris Agency Independent department, with co-heads Cassian Elwes and Rena Ronson negotiating the deal.
Big brother Ben
Casey's big bro Ben Affleck, after battling the Japanese in the upcoming Pearl Harbor, is set to star in director Martin Brest's Gigli. Brest, who has taken a three-year hiatus since his last film, Meet Joe Black, will direct from his own script about a down-and-out hit man (Affleck) who kidnaps the mentally challenged brother of a powerful district attorney. While waiting for ransom demands, he hooks up with a free-spirited female partner, whom he assumes is a hit woman. You can't say it doesn't sound original. This marks the first time Brest has directed from his own script in 20 years, the last being 1979's Going in Style starring George Burns. And let's hope this one is more memorable.
Bakula will explore new worlds
Quantum Leap star Scott Bakula is taking another strange journey into the unknown as he has signed on to play Capt. Jonathan Archer (in company with other great names such as James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard) on Enterprise, the fifth Star Trek series. Paramount Network Television described the character of Archer to The Associated Press as a "physical and intensely curious captain" who maintains a sense of duty. He also is "a bit of a renegade and is not afraid to question orders or even disobey them if he feels in his gut that he is right." Ah, just the kind of starship captain we need.
Booked on the love "Boat"
Sometimes it pays to take your clothes off. Former Playboy playmate of the year Victoria Silvstedt and actress Vivica A. Fox (Kingdom Come) are joining the cast of the indie feature Boat Trip, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz. Story centers on two men (Gooding and Sanz) who set out on a Caribbean cruise to find love and romance only to realize they are on a gay cruise. Oh no! Fox will play Gooding's fiancée and Silvstedt plays Inga, the head of a Swedish swim team. Who magically appears on the gay cruise to the Caribbean? Production starts at the end of the month in Germany.
Malick "Rock"s
Director Terrence Malick is back once again. He will produce a new adaptation of author Graham Greene's novel Brighton Rock. The original 1947 film, directed by John Boulting, starred Richard Attenborough as a small-time gangster in the English seaside town of Brighton who self-destructs after murdering a rival. The strange and elusive Malick will not direct, even though he is officially out of seclusion after directing the 1998 war film The Thin Red Line. Before that, his last film was the 1978 Days of Heaven with Richard Gere and Sam Shepard. Rock is slated for a summer 2002 start date in the United Kingdom.
Cameron and Cousteau team up
Director-producer James Cameron must have a thing for undersea exploration. Remember all that footage of the doomed Titanic in his Oscar-winning film? Now he is teaming up with ocean explorer-environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, to produce a series of undersea exploration specials for ABC. Ironically, the first installment will be about the remains of Titanic - which is easy enough. The series seeks to use the latest technology in oceanic photography to view areas of the deep blue sea never seen or explored before. So, now we can finally see all the weird prehistoric creatures that dwell on the ocean floor.
Kasdan, Goldman do King's "Dreamcatcher"
Director Lawrence Kasdan and writer William Goldman have teamed up with Castle Rock Productions to bring Stephen King's latest novel The Dreamcatcher to life. The story revolves around four childhood friends who share a secret bond after they perform a heroic act. Years later, as they have drifted apart, they must reunite to save the Earth from a mysterious force. Sounds a little like a conglomeration of several King stories, including Stand By Me and It. But with the talent of Kasdan and Goldman, plus the Castle Rock contingency, who've produced probably the best King adaptations such as The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and Misery, this film has every chance to be another winner. Now, let's see whom they cast.
Kudrow looking for "Scouts"
Friends funny lady Lisa Kudrow will produce and star in the dark comedy indie Intense Girl Scouts, about a woman who leads an unofficial Girl Scout troop into doing out-of-the-norm good deeds. Yet, when some of those deeds go awry, she is ostracized and ends up becoming involved in questionable activities with her creepy neighbor-ultimately leading to murder. If anyone could pull this off, it'd be Kudrow, who showed some excellent acting chops in another independent gem The Opposite of Sex. Unfortunately, her bigger features, such as Hanging Up and Lucky Numbers, didn't fare as well. Might be the wisest for her to stick to the little guys.
P.Diddy: "I can act!"
Sure he can. Why not? Mr. bad-boy rapper Sean "P.Diddy or Puffy" Combs has done just about everything else. Having narrowly escaped prison life for real, Combs has decided to play a prisoner in the independent feature Monster's Ball, costarring with Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Halle Berry and Peter Boyle. The story is about a father and son (Thornton and Ledger) who work at a prison's electric chair facility. Combs will play a death row inmate who is put to death on the electric chair. Thornton's character, a racist, later falls in love with the widow, played by Berry. Combs also will appear in Jon Favreau's movie Made, out this July.
Bell calls "Who Goes There?"
Jamie Bell, of Billy Elliot, is set to star in a World War II drama Who Goes There?, based on the true story of a German U-boat that landed its crew in a Welsh village. Bell will play a boy who befriends a German soldier only to find out his friend is not really such a nice guy. Well, that's a surprise. It will be interesting to see whether the young lad is as good as he was in Billy Elliot. But no pressure, Jamie.

Strapping Irish stud Colin Farrell was named the year's best actor for his work in "Tigerland" by the Boston Society of Film Critics on Saturday.
And if that alone does not cause a bit of head scratching, take a look at the heavyweights whom the young upstart has beaten out for the nod: Tom Hanks in "Cast Away," Javier Bardem in "Before Night Falls" and Mark Ruffalo in "You Can Count on Me."
Perhaps just as surprising is actress Ellen Burstyn snagging a best actress win for "Requiem for a Dream." Before this award, some thought of Burstyn as more of a supporting actress contender. Burstyn beat out Julia Roberts ("Erin Brockovich") and Laura Linney ("You Can Count on Me"). The Boston critics handed the best picture award to "Almost Famous," as well as the best director mention to the film's helmer Cameron Crowe, who also shared the best screenplay award with "Wonder Boys" scribe Steven Kloves.
Best supporting actress went to Frances McDormand for her performances in both "Almost Famous" and "Wonder Boys," and best supporting actor belonged to "Best in Show's" Fred Willard as the faux-pas-spilling announcer.
Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" continues to do well with the critics, nabbing best foreign film and best cinematography for Peter Pau.
Along with the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review have all unveiled their top picks for the year.
HEAR ME ROAR: Looks like Cameron Diaz has found her voice. The "Charlie's Angels" actress managed to scare off a pair of thieves rummaging through her Rome hotel room Friday night -- by screaming really loud, The Associated Press says. On their way out, two men dropped two leather jackets and a laptop computer.
BLACK FRIDAY: Stan Lee Media laid off nearly all of its Los Angeles staff on Friday because it was unable to secure new financing, Reuters reports. The company recently has experienced a drastic drop in its stock price.
ANOTHER "GRADUATE" ALUM: English actress Amanda Donohoe ("L.A. Law") will assume the post of Mrs. Robinson in the London stage version of "The Graduate." The play has grossed more than 6 million pounds since it opened in April. Previous Mrs. R's includes Kathleen Turner and Jerry Hall.

Just like his monotoned android promised nine years ago in "Terminator 2," Arnold Schwarzenegger -- as we know it -- is back.
But the big question after all these years is: Does anyone still care?
Case in point: "The 6th Day."
Opening last weekend, the sci-fi actioner took in an estimated $13.2 million over the three-day period. While the actioner had the disadvantage of opening up against the season's most anticipated fare, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas", the fact of the matter is that for an Ah-nuld picture, it is -- after all things considered -- still somewhat disappointing.
"A Schwarzenegger film nowadays is no longer an event. Thirteen million is a disappointing opening for a Schwarzenegger film. He was averaging beforehand $20 million-plus openings," Brandon Gray, editor of boxofficemojo.com, told Hollywood.com. "But of course, we need to keep in mind that his movies do really well overseas."
Disappointing might also be the word for Schwarzenegger's "End of Days" last year, which grossed only $67 million domestically, and "Jingle All the Way" in 1996 with a paltry $60 million at the U.S. box office. Sure, the big guy may have rebounded with the $100 million "Eraser" in the same year, but that was four years ago.
Hmmm, could the blockbuster days of "T-2" and "Total Recall" be over for the Austrian muscleman?
"I think part of it is Hollywood has been making different kinds of films, and Arnold has continued to make the kinds of films that are, well, his kinds of films," John L. Flynn, professor of English at Towson University in Towson, Md., and author of "The Films of Arnold Schwarzenegger," told Hollywood.com. "And so even though Arnold continues to make movies like 'End of Days,' I don't think that's the kind of films that Hollywood and the popular audience are looking for.
"I just don't think his films have stayed up with what the current audience's needs are."
And all you have to do is look at this year's top-grossing film, aka "M:I-2," to get an idea of what audiences need.
"Let's face it. Your hero there [in the movie] was Tom Cruise -- good-looking, with a lot of babes. There were a lot of wild camera angles and special effects and editing, and you didn't need to be a big, larger-than-life figure for that film."
Following that line of thinking, at the core of Schwarzenegger's dipping popularity might very well be the changing idea of what an action hero is and what the action genre should look like in Y2K.
Basically, the type of new stylistic sensibility -- fast editing and weird cinematography coupled by savvy special effects, the type that can make you fly and kick ass at the same time -- has made it possible for any actor, and not just Schwarzenegger, to become an action guy in today's movies.
And when it's all said and done, it might not be that Schwarzenegger's act is getting old but just that other big boys -- such as the aforementioned Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan, etc. -- are honing in on his turf.
So where does that leave Schwarzenegger?
"I think selectivity has a lot to do with it [his comeback]," Flynn said. "He needs to be a lot more careful with lining up the roles that he'll be doing.
But quite honestly, how long will we as a public accept him as an action hero? I think he needs to start selecting roles that will take him in the direction of being sort of the leading man, where he has romantic entanglements with his leading ladies, which doesn't mean that we can't have a shootout here and there."
But if the stars are aligned, Schwarzenegger may not have to wait as long as that for a comeback, given that "Terminator 3" (sans director James Cameron, no less) is gearing up for a 2002 release.
"What's really going to make a career comeback will be 'Terminator 3," Flynn said. "It's a disappointment that James Cameron will not have the directing role in it, but I think a lot of people are looking forward to having Arnold's comeback. I think a lot of people have been waiting for this character to come back.
"It's a character that is identified with Schwarzenegger, and I think people will go to see it just because of that."
So Ah-nuld fans needn't worry. He'll be back.

Charlton Heston, call your agent. Twentieth Century Fox's long-anticipated "Planet of the Apes" remake is not extinct. And ditto for -- Warner Bros.' new-look "Superman" movie may fly after all.
Word comes today from the Hollywood Reporter that these big-budget sci-fi and super-hero projects -- two of the most highly anticipated movies of the 1990s that never came to pass -- may soon be salvaged from development hell after years of on-again, off-again directors and aborted screenplays.
Fox could reportedly seal a deal with Tim Burton before the end of the week to direct its "Apes" remake, while Warner officials are said to be pleased with a new "Superman" screenplay from Bill Wisher, who co-wrote "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" with James Cameron.
Fox's announcement that Burton is in talks to direct "Apes" should come as a welcome surprise for sci-fi aficionados. The project, which was first announced back in 1993, has been associated with the likes of Oliver Stone, Cameron, Chris Columbus and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the past.
Although the trade newspaper didn't cite its sources, the Burton rumor seems to fit -- at least if you believe recent whisperings. In January, movie rumor Websites such as Ain't It Cool News (www.aint-it-cool-news.com) posted information, purportedly from people close to the project, stating that a new story treatment was recently written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Walker also wrote "Sleepy Hollow," Burton's recent gothic horror hit that grossed $96 million for Paramount.
The original "Planet of the Apes" (1968), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, was based on a book by French writer Pierre Boulle. The flick starred Heston as Taylor, a time-traveling astronaut who crash-lands on a barren planet ruled by a society of apes, who regard humans as mere savage slaves. It also starred Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter as the sympathetic chimpanzees Cornelius and Zira. Such was the popularity of the "Apes" franchise that it spawned four sequels, a live-action TV series and even a cartoon.
Fox commissioned an "Apes" script in the mid-1990's by Sam Hamm (who penned the stories for Burton's "Batman" and "Batman Returns") that reportedly deviated markedly from the original film, with a race of intergalactic apes dispatching a virus to the Earth, and a group of human heroes venturing to the ape planet to send the bio-agent back.
Columbus ("Mrs. Doubtfire," "Bicentennial Man") was to direct the project and Schwarzenegger was to play an updated version of Heston's role. Later, Cameron was rumored to be unofficially attached to the project as a producer and writer.
According to Ain't It Cool News, Walker's rumored treatment is a modified version of Hamm's screenplay. In it, a civilization of apes living in the Earth's core dispatches a killer virus to the surface, and two scientists must travel to the center of the planet and stop the apes from wiping out humanity.
The Hollywood Reporter says the new "Planet of the Apes" will get the A-list treatment, with a big budget and elaborate special effects (remember the cool ape make-up from the original?). No word yet, however, whether Burton will let frequent leading man Johnny Depp utter that classic line: "Get yer stinkin' paws off me, ya damn dirty ape!"
Meanwhile, no director is working on Warner's long-awaited "Superman" update -- alternately known in its past lives as "Superman Lives" and "Superman Reborn" -- although Burton was attached to the film circa 1997-98. Other screenwriters who have worked on the film prior to Wisher include Kevin Smith ("Clerks") and Dan Gilroy ("Freejack").
CHAINSAW REVISITED: First "Star Wars," now "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
Unapix Films, which purchased the sequel rights to the grisly horror franchise about a year ago, announced this week that it will produce a "Chainsaw" prequel, simply titled "Ed Gein."
For the uninformed, Gein was the real-life serial murderer who terrorized Wisconsin in the 1950s, kidnapping women, skinning them alive and making lampshades out of their skin. He is said to be the inspiration for "Psycho" and "Silence of the Lambs," as well as the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), which was directed by Tobe Hooper, who later made "Poltergeist."
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the new film will be directed by Martin Kunert ("Campfire Tales") and written by Kunert and Eric Manes. Kunert and Manes' other credits include "Hindenburg," a movie now in development at Fox with Jan DeBont directing, and "Dare," a TV game show now in development at MTV.
For the record, this will be the fifth movie in the "Chainsaw" series, which chronicles the exploits of a sadistic family of cannibals, led by the patriarch "Grandpa" (who, in one installment, runs a successful chili con carne business --- with human flesh as his main ingredient, of course) and his son Leatherface, a chainsaw-wielding freak. The most recent was "Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" a k a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" (1994) which featured Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey in pre-stardom roles.
AND YET ANOTHER REMAKE: The Hollywood recycling program continues unabated, as Variety reports that Columbia Pictures has announced a remake of the 1971 thriller "See No Evil" (a k a "The Blind Terror") for a planned 2001 release. Martin Ransohoff, who produced the original version, also will oversee the remake and screenwriter Tony Jaswinski, who recently sold a spec script to New Line, will write it. In the original movie, Mia Farrow played a blind girl who moved into her aunt and uncle's English countryside home. Everyone else in the house is silently murdered, leaving the poor Farrow to be stalked and terrorized by the assailant. Columbia officials say the new version will be "modernized." Can you say "The Haunting"?
DIGITAL PLANET: Director Mike Figgis ("Leaving Las Vegas") will see his unconventional digital-video flick "Time Code 2000" premiere at an appropriately unconventional venue -- the first-ever Online Film Festival, March 22-23 in Los Angeles.
Backed by Yahoo! Internet Life magazine, the fest showcases movies that are either backed by Web-based companies or include Internet-themed plotlines.
Starring Salma Hayek, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kyle MacLachlan and Holly Hunter, "Time Code 2000" was shot on digital video and is being billed as something of a free-spirited innovation. Figgis reportedly had four roving video cameras independently shooting four separate 93-minute stories, all four of which are shown at once on the big screen. The movie was totally improvised -- there was no script -- and totally caveman-esque -- there are no special effects, no sound dubbing, no editing and not even make-up for the actors.
Screenings for the Online Film Festival are scheduled for the Directors Guild of America headquarters in Los Angeles. The event's lineup includes six feature films -- three of which are world premieres -- and 24 shorts. The short films will be viewable in streaming video format at www.onlinefilmfestival.com .

At the holiday weekend box office, Oliver Stone's homage to football scored, while Jim Carrey's homage to Andy Kaufman fumbled.
Director Stone's "Any Given Sunday," released by Warner Bros. and starring Al Pacino, and Cameron Diaz, was No. 1, grossing $14.2 million Friday through Sunday, studio estimates say. The film opened Wednesday in 2,505 theaters and averaged $5,669 per screen over the weekend, and has pulled in an estimated $21.3 million in its first five days.
But perhaps the biggest story of the weekend was all the money "Man on the Moon" didn't pull in. The Andy Kaufman biopic, starring Jim Carrey as the late "Taxi" comedian, is not expected to earn more than about $9 million for the Friday-Sunday weekend and $13.8 million for the week. (Like the Stone film, "Man on the Moon" opened Wednesday.)
"I think we pretty much expected this, given the fact that it's different from any other Jim Carrey movie and given the challenge of the material," Universal Vice President Jeff Sakson said today. "We didn't expect it to be No. 1 in its opening weekend, but we believe it will grow based on word of mouth."
"Man on the Moon" does indeed have lots of room to grow--it bowed in a (relatively) lowly sixth place. And if Universal wasn't expecting "Man on the Moon" to open big dollarwise, it certainly opened the film big theaterwise--putting it up on 2,079 venues where it averaged $4,329 per screen.
The real star of the weekend, meanwhile, might just be the No. 2 finisher. "The Talented Mr. Ripley," released on Christmas Day by Paramount and Miramax and boasting the Oscar-winning talents of Matt Damon (cast against type as an opportunistic serial killer), Gwyneth Paltrow and director Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient"), wrapped up the second spot with an estimated $13.8 million at 2,307 theaters, for an average of $5,982 per screen. That tidy sum was accumulated in just two days.
"If you look at the two-day figures [Saturday and Sunday], we are No. 1, and we are thrilled with that," Blaise Noto, Paramount's vice president of worldwide publicity, said today.
"We expect it to do even better next week as word-of-mouth spreads, because this film delivers what it promises and the reviews have been great across the country, averaging three to five stars. And now we've got a whole week of uninterrupted holiday playing time," Noto said.
Not unexpectedly, Warners--the studio behind "Any Given Sunday"--refused to yield a yard.
"This is the biggest opening weekend ever for an Oliver Stone film," Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman said this morning. "Before this, his biggest was 'Natural Born Killers,' had about $11 million in its first weekend in 1993. We love this movie and we expected it to do well, so we are not surprised at the critical and commercial response."
The kiddie pics "Toy Story 2" and "Stuart Little" continued to perform well at the box office and were tied for the No. 3 spot. In its sixth week of release, Disney's "Toy" posted $12.5 million, up 3 percent over last weekend. "Toy" continued to play in an impressive 3,151 theaters, averaging $3,967 per screen. Its cumulative gross is now an estimated $179.7 million.
Columbia's "Stuart Little," which was last weekend's No. 1 flick, also grossed an estimated $12.5 million, a drop-off of 17 percent. The movie, which features the voice of Michael J. Fox as author E.B. White's famed talking mouse, averaged $4,310 per screen in 2,900 theaters. That film has now grossed approximately $40.2 million in two weeks.
"It's looking like one of the season's hits," said Jeff Blake, Columbia president of worldwide distribution. "The kids' pictures are not favored over Christmas weekend because families with children are staying home, so we're very pleased. We expect [Stuart Little's grosses] to be up next week, because the kids are out of school."
Warner Bros. "The Green Mile," starring Tom Hanks, earned just over $9 million for the weekend, according to estimates, edging out "Man on the Moon" by just $40,000 for No. 5. Experts said "Mile" and "Man on the Moon" could flip-flop in the ranks by the time actual ticket-sales numbers are calculated.
"The Green Mile," adapted from Stephen King's series of novellas about a death-row inmate gifted with miraculous healing powers, has grossed an estimated $52.8 million in three weeks of release. At 2,875 theaters, it averaged about $3,144 per screen, a 29 percent drop compared to last weekend, when the film was No. 2 at the box office.
The bottom half of the Christmas weekend Top 10 was occupied by comedies and family fare. Disney's "Bicentennial Man," starring Robin Williams, dropped two places to No. 7 in its second weekend. On the upside, the critically panned robot saga held its own, grossing an estimated $8.3 million for the second weekend in a row. The movie averaged $3,000 per screen in 2,767 theaters. Its overall take stands at $22.5 million.
In addition to "The Talented Mr. Ripley," one other film was given a wide release on Christmas Day. Dreamworks' "Galaxy Quest," a knowing spoof of "Star Trek," came in at No. 8 in the weekend box office race. The film, starring Tim Allen as a Shatner-esque sci-fi icon, bowed in 2,412 theaters and grossed $8.1 million over Saturday and Sunday, for an average of $3,358 per screen.
With surprisingly strong legs, the R-rated Disney-backed comedy "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" stood firm in the Top 10 for the third straight weekend despite its no-star cast (led by "Saturday Night Live" alumnus Rob Schneider as a bumbling male prostitute). "Deuce" earned an estimated $6.2 million at 2,162 theaters, for an average of 2,868 per screen. The low-budget feature has now grossed $35.4 million.
Rounding out the Top 10 was 20th Century Fox's "Anna and the King," starring Jodie Foster and Hong Kong star Chow Yun-Fat. The film dropped four notches in its second weekend, grossing $4.1 million at 2,140 theaters, averaging 2,196 per screen. "Anna" has now grossed $13.5 million in two weeks.
Several films that had been Top 10 mainstays were eliminated from contention during the Christmas weekend. The latest James Bond actioneer "The World Is Not Enough" slipped four places to No. 11; Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" fell two notches to No. 12; and Arnold Schwarzenegger's would-be comeback vehicle, the apocalyptic thriller "End of Days," slipped five places to No. 13. The latter film has earned just $60.8 million after five weeks.
Estimates released by Exhibitor Relations Co., the box-office tracking firm, indicate that movie attendance for the top-grossing features declined about 27 percent compared to Christmas 1998. Although the actual ticket sales figures won't be tallied until Monday, it appears that the box-office total won't surpass last year's record of $147.5 million, as some experts had predicted.
OTHER OPENINGS
Five films were released this week in limited runs--the better to qualify for the Academy Awards. Sony's "Girl, Interrupted," with Winona Ryder as a patient in a women's mental hospital, opened Tuesday in nine theaters, earning an estimated $206,000 for the week. Universal's "Snow Falling on Cedars," a thriller starring Ethan Hawke, opened Wednesday in three theaters and grossed $49,000 through Sunday. Paramount's "Angela's Ashes," based on author Frank McCourt's best-selling memoir, earned $60,000 in six theaters since opening on Christmas. Fox Searchlight's "Titus," starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange, bowed in two theaters and made $25,000 over the weekend. Disney's "Play it to the Bone," starring Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas, opened in one theater and grossed $3,660 for the Saturday-Sunday period.

The sequel to Charlie's Angels is looking to start shooting as early as spring 2002, producer Leonard Goldberg confirmed to Variety. "Depending on whether a strike happens, we should have the script in four to six weeks," Goldberg said. "We'll take it to the Angels for their perusal, and if they like it, Sony can sit down with them and make a deal." The film will reunite the girls--Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz-along with the director McG. Barrymore will co-produce with Goldberg.
"Halloween" take 8
Seems we just can't get enough of Michael Myers. Dimension Films is getting ready to start production May 9 on Halloween 8 and has enlisted the talents of Busta Rhymes (Finding Forrester), Tyra Banks (Coyote Ugly) and Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance). In the eighth installment of the ever-popular Halloween series, a group of teens return to the home of legendary serial killer Myers to launch a live Internet chat-and Michael is waiting for them to continue his killing spree. Dimension produced the last film, Halloween: H2O, which starred Jamie Lee Curtis, in 1998.
Trio gets "Scorched"
Woody Harrelson, Alicia Silverstone and Rachael Leigh Cook are in negotiations to star in the comedy, Scorched for director Gavin Grazer. The story revolves around two bank employees (Harrelson and Silverstone) in a small desert town, each of whom makes plans to rob the bank on the same weekend, as does a third employee. The catch? None of them know the other's intentions. Cook plays a disgruntled clothing store worker who plans to seek her own revenge on a millionaire. Production is slated to start at the end of May.
Ledger creates a "Monster"
Australian actor Heath Ledger, fresh off the upcoming A Knight's Tale, will most likely be replacing Wes Bentley (American Beauty) in Lions Gate Films' Monster Ball. Bentley dropped out of the project for undisclosed reasons. Ledger will join costars Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry in a story about Hank (Thornton) and his son (Ledger). Both work for the local prison, which gives Hank the opportunity to fall in love with the widow of an inmate who has been executed. She is unaware that Hank knew her husband; complications ensue. Production is slated to start May 24.
J.Lo hears the "Tick Tock"
Hot Jennifer Lopez is in talks to star in Tick Tock for Columbia Pictures. The script focuses on an amnesiac who awakens in the custody of the FBI as a prime suspect in an L.A. bombing. Not sure if he is being set up to take the fall or the actual bomber, he must help guide a young FBI agent (Lopez) through L.A. as they race to disarm other remaining explosives. If an actors' strike does not happen, the project will start production early fall. Lopez will be seen in the upcoming Angel Eyes.
Rappers "Wash" up
Rap masters Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will star in an urban comedy, The Wash, as incompatible roommates who work together at a busy car wash. The two will also serve as executive producers and provide the soundtrack. Dr. Dre's bad boy protégé, Eminem, is set to make an appearance. Production starts May 7.
A family affair
Both the Douglas and Jones clans have set their sights on making Smoke and Mirrors. Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones will star, with Michael's older brother, Joel, co-producing with partner Kevin Brodie and Zeta-Jones' brother, David, under the Pro Star Filmmakers moniker. Even dad Kirk Douglas may play a sultan in the story of French illusionist Robert Houdin set in the 1850s. Film locations are being scouted in Morocco, Tunisia and Israel.
A martial arts "Monk"
Jean-Claude Van Damme will star in the independent martial arts actioner The Monk, where he plays a Shaolin monk who comes to America in search of his father and must battle an evil crime lord. But of course he does. Shooting is slated for a Nov. 1 start date.
Irons chooses his "Ladies" carefully
Jeremy Irons will star in And Now Ladies and Gentlemen, an English/French romantic thriller. Irons will play a criminally minded yachtsman/thief who falls for a French singer. Director Claude Lelouch originally wanted an American-he had Dustin Hoffman in mind at first, then later reworked the part for John Malkovich, who became interested in the project. But when Malkovich had to drop out because his next film, Ripley's Game, was pushed up due to the possible strikes, the part was rewritten once again to fit Englishman Irons.